Weighing in on the second of Kansas City’s third-round draft picks.
The Kansas City Chiefs have made their next selection!
After a trade up with the New England Patriots, the Chiefs took California cornerback Nohl Williams with the 85th overall pick in the third round. We have insta-grades from the three members of the Arrowhead Pride Draft Team.
Caleb: The Chiefs have needed to address the depth in the cornerback room, and this pick should give them ample options headed into 2025. Williams is a ballhawk, and his physicality, particularly in jamming and press coverage, will make him a good fit for what the defense is looking to do.
Williams does a good job of locating the ball in the air and is physical at the point of attack. Williams will have time to adjust to the NFL speed, but where he could make an instant impact is in the return game, where he shows good vision and shifty speed that he used to break some long returns in 2024.
Veach and Spagnuolo have earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to evaluating defensive backs, and this could very well be their next big hit.
Grade: B+
Nate: Williams wasn’t someone I watched before the draft, so I’m not sure what his skill set or talent is yet. I will say, I have a friend who goes to Cal games, and he was a big fan of Williams. What he described to me was that Williams is a strong zone defender with good ball skills and instincts. Williams might be worse in man coverage without elite testing or size. I’m intrigued to see if the Chiefs view him as a nickel or outside guy. Regardless, Jaylen Watson and Kristian Fulton aren’t guarantees to be here in 2026, so I don’t mind having someone in the pipeline to replace them. I implicitly trust the Chiefs to evaluate defensive backs, so I’ll give this a good grade for now until I have time to watch more.
Grade: B+
Rocky: Williams is a great fit for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. He will get physical at the line of scrimmage and jam a player; he has the size to go toe-to-toe with the bigger receivers in the league and has excellent ball skills. He isn’t the fastest guy, however, and may need help over the top from time to time.
Williams had seven interceptions last season and held opposing quarterbacks to a 40.7 passer rating when targeting guys he covered. Selecting a perimeter cornerback like Williams will allow Trent McDuffie to shift back inside to the slot, where he truly excels. Williams might not have been as successful as he will be in Kansas City if he went somewhere else, but I trust defensive backs coach Dave Merritt to get the most out of his skill set.
Grade: B+